Upcycling Zoe Murphy style*

A gold star for Zoe Murphy, the new kid on the British design scene. It's hard to make beautiful, original furniture, and even harder to do it with a eco-conscious approach.

She says 'most of her work is focused on trying to draw attention to furniture and textile pieces that are otherwise left unloved and disregarded'. Her approach is to take classic pieces, mostly in the mid-century modern style and 'upcycle' them using processes such as patchworking and veneering. So her pieces are contemporary but with a history to tell. I love it.

Squint

Shabby chic style isn't always the easiest to live with [boys don't always love it], but it's time has surely come [minimalism is on it's death knell] and the reused, patchwork style of designers Squint is right for our new love affair with homespun, recycled style. Take a wander down to Squint's store on Shoreditch High Street one Sunday after a morning at Columbia Road flower market just around the corner. It opens at 1pm, so enough time for a brew before.

Trincket of the Week! - Wrong Woods furniture*

I'm hunting the perfect chest of drawers for my bedroom. While it's not credit-crunch perfect [it costs £2,500 pah!!], in terms of aesthetic, the utilitarian feel of the furniture, with it's fun, cartoon graphic in laminate does fit the current mood. And the acid green, orange and yellow colours feel right for springtime.

The chest of drawers forms part of the ‘Collaborations’ programme designed by British artist Richard Woods and designer Sebastian Wrong, size L1092mm x D508mm x H736mm. Also part of the series are sideboards and wall units. Available in the UK from Established and Sons.